Photograph by: Liane Faulder
, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - Simple and rustic, meat loaf is among the most popular of winter dishes. Everybody’s mother made one, and today, meat loaf has emerged from the humble home kitchen to occupy menu space at numerous Edmonton restaurants. Here are three prime cuts.

With two locations, the Urban Diner makes a specialty of comfort food, including meat loaf. It starts with fresh ground lean beef, and there are some oats to soak up the fat in this recipe, as well as minced roasted vegetables to add heft. The top of the meat loaf is brushed with a homemade espresso barbecue sauce, lending a sweet and smoky flavour. A cranberry chutney snuggles alongside the meat loaf, together with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. $15.95

Not all loaves are made with meat. At Café Mosaics, the main ingredient is tofu, minced with string beans, carrots, onions and tahini, plus soy sauce and spices, including turmeric, which gives the dish a curry-esque tinge. Often vegetarian dishes lack good texture, but this has a satisfying mouth feel. The best part of this loaf, however, is the gravy — made from mushrooms, soy milk, garlic and red wine. It comes with fried potatoes and a gigantic salad. $15.50

The Italian meat loaf at this popular downtown diner is made with lean ground beef and mild Italian sausage. The fat in the latter lends the meat loaf more flavour, and a nice smoothness in the mouth. There are lots of Italian seasonings, such as rosemary, basil, thyme and oregano, plus a secret spicy ingredient for zing. It’s served with a ladle of tomato and roasted garlic sauce, adding to the overall hearty appeal of the dish. It sits proudly on the plate beside roughly mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley. $15.75.

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